Alpine is in dire straits in the Formula 1 world championship and so Renault’s CEO, Luca Di Meo, has decided to help it by trying to rekindle the magic touch of Flavio Briatore, who has appointed him as his executive advisor.
The 74-year-old manager and entrepreneur (who was already in Montmelo today) was an influential figure in the circus for several years before dedicating himself to other activities, but always remaining in touch with a world he loves. Also for this reason, in Paris and in Enstone, the team’s English headquarters, they are convinced that he will be able to give a big hand. His contribution, as explained in the press release which made official an agreement which had been discussed for about a month, “will focus on top level issues of the team including: search for the best talents and in-depth analysis of the driver market, proposing a possible evolution of the current project, evaluating its structure and offering advice on strategic issues relating to sport”.
The question of scouting could prove vital, given that Esteban Ocon will leave the team at the end of the season and that Pierre Gasly’s contract expires at the end of the season. But there will also be important decisions to be made with regards to the entire team, since in view of the major technical and regulatory changes in force from 2026 it will be necessary to reflect on a crucial choice: developing a new Renault brand engine, a commitment that also from the from an economic point of view it will be difficult, or find an external supplier, which could be Mercedes, changing the team’s philosophy a bit. To get to the bottom of the matter, Di Meo expects all the inputs to make the right decision and avoid a possible economic and image catastrophe from Briatore, appointed ‘executive advisor’.
The team’s negative moment in this world championship, only five points gained in the standings in nine races played and an unstable atmosphere between the two drivers will not be solved with a magic wand by Briatore, but his presence will be able to give a jolt while planning the future. The Italian will also have political weight, given that in recent years he has always had clear ideas on how, in his opinion, the world of Formula 1 could evolve. For two years, then, involved by the CEO of Formula One Group, Stefano Domenicali, Briatore has been taking care of initiatives as an ‘ambassador’ within the paddock club on race weekends.
Having entered the world of Formula 1 at the end of the 1980s to work at the Benetton team, after becoming team principal he took with him a very young Michael Schumacher, guiding him to the first two of his seven world titles, in 1994 and 1995.
Following the purchase of the team by Renault, his reputation as a talent scout bore fruit again with Fernando Alonso, who won the title in 2005 and 2006. In 2009, however, the manager was fired from the team after the scandal ‘crashgate’ broke out at the end of the summer in relation to what happened at the 2008 Singapore GP, when according to the prosecution he had asked Nelson Piquet Jr to cause an accident to help Alonso, unaware of the deception, to win the race. After his dismissal, he was banned for life by the FIA, a sanction later annulled following an out-of-court settlement.
Now the return, also welcomed by the Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanchè: “Formula One changes but Briatore’s abilities are always pole position”.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
